Arrina and the Son of Hecate
by the-jazie
Summary: Arrina, a daughter of Hermes that lives in Camp Half-Blood, has a dream about a boy who is on the streets. She recognizes him as a demigod and sets out to retrieve him and bring him to Camp. However, along the way she encounters a monster and another dream about a missing god.
1. The Boy

DISCLAIMER Arrina and Houdini belong to me but the rest of the characters belong to Rick Riordan. I have not read the new Apollo books so sorry if my fanfic is inconsistent with those

* * *

The boy was young, younger than anyone Arrina had to retrieve. Arrina studied him carefully. The boy was wearing a tattered blue shirt that might have said something long ago but was now forgotten. His pants were ripped in multiple places and was barely holding itself together. His face was dirty, but you could make out some elvish features: long eyelashes, heart shaped face, slightly pointed ears. Arrina knew this was the boy she was looking for, and felt almost relieved he didn't have to suffer in his current state any longer, but she knew that the hardships were just beginning.

She carefully walked to where the boy was lying down in restless sleep in the alleyway and put her hand on the boy's arm. His eyes opened immediately, revealing alarmed black eyes. Which clashed unusually with his dirty blonde hair. He jumped up and backed into the alley, supporting himself against a dumpster.

"Stay back!" he screamed. "Don't touch me!"

Arrina tried to comfort the boy. This isn't the first time she got a reaction like this. "Shh, it's ok, I'm not going to hurt you." She took a small step towards him.

"Stop!" he yelled. Suddenly, the air around him began to shift, and he pulled a knife from thin air. Even though it was just a butter knife, Arrina was surprised he could summon it at such a young age.

 _Another approach then_ , she thought. She took off her belt with her dagger and other essentials put it on the ground in front of her. "I don't want to hurt you," she said slowly. "I'm here to help you."

"You can't help me! The monsters are everywhere! But I can run. They can't catch me." Arrina knew that he probably suspected that she was also a monster.

"That used to happen to me, too." Arrina did you best to sound soothing. "But now I have friends. They can help you, too. You don't have to be alone anymore"

The knife disappeared, and the boy looked disappointed. His powers aren't enough to protect him. "How do I know you're not lying? How do I know you're not one of them?"

Arrina though for a bit. Then she rolled up her sleeve to reveal a scar she's had since she was nine. "Monsters heal completely if you cut them, but I have a scar here. Do monsters show you their weaknesses?"

The boy became relaxed, but was still supporting himself against the dumpster. "Can you really help me?"

Arrina picked up her belt and fastened it back into place. "Yes, me and many others can keep you safe." She looked at her watch. 8:20. "We have to hurry. We need to get out of here and to my friends before another monster comes." She walked toward him. "My name's Arrina. What's your name?"

"I don't know…" He genuinely seemed confused, and sad. She kneeled down so she was at eye level with him. Wait, his eyes were blue now. Weren't they black before? She decided to ask him later.

Arrina smiled at him. "Then I'll give you a new name! From today, your new name is Houdini."

"Houdini...that name sounds familiar." Houdini said.

"Houdini is the most famous magician of all time, and you have some magic tricks yourself, so I thought it fit. Can you walk, Houdini?"

"Um," he pushed himself off the dumpster and tried to stand up on his own. "No. he said before Arrina caught him. She lifted him up and set him on her back.

"Then I guess you're riding on my back." she said before she started briskly walking out of the alley. There were only 30 minutes left of sunlight. Arrina new they would have to stop at a shelter on their way to camp, she didn't want to be out at night any longer than she had to.

"Do you remember anything about your past?" Arrina asked as she carried

"I remember running, and being hungry, but I don't remember much else." She could feel Houdini shaking on her back.

She set him down on a bench and attempted to soothe him. "Shh, it's ok if you don't remember, don't cry. My friends can help with that." She should have waited until they got to camp to question him.

Tears streamed silently down his face. "I don't know if I want to remember." Houdini started hiccuping. Arrina took off her jacket and put it around Houdini's shoulders, revealing her bright orange shirt. The jacket might make it harder to carry them, but they didn't have much farther to go.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have asked. It's ok if you don't want to remember. Listen, we are going to stop somewhere for the night. Are you ok with that? I think you need some food and rest." She smiled at him. "One more night and you'll be safe with me and my friends."

"Pinkie promise?" he asked, which caught Arrina by surprised. He lifted his pinkie finger toward her.

She chuckled. "Ya, pinkie promise." They locked pinkies and Arrina lifted him once more onto her back.


	2. The Shelter

They reached their first stop after the sun had set.

It was a homeless shelter in the east side of Manhattan, about four miles from their final destination. The exterior of the shelter wasn't much to look at: faded sign, peeling paint, broken window. The inside was worse; the shelter was full of alcoholic middle aged adults, whose smell would sure mask theirs from monsters.

"We have to stay here for the night," Arrina whispered.

"I don't like it here," he whispered back. "It feels wrong."

"It's fine Houdini, I've been here before. Its alright to stay here. No monsters."

Houdini looked unsure. Arrina was unsure when she first came here, too. But they couldn't stay outside at night, there was too big a risk of a monster attack. Arrina could defend herself, but she wasn't sure she could protect Houdini if more than one attacked them. He was too weak, only six. And besides, the subway wasn't an option for Arrina.

"We just have to stay for the night." Arrina opened the door to the shelter. "Look- they even have soup." Arrina pointed at the back of the room to a table with a large pot of soup on it. Arrina held Houdini's hand and made their way around the room, careful not to breathe through her nose. When they reached the soup, Arrina took a examined it carefully. She took a small whiff and decided that maybe soup wasn't a good idea.

"On second thought, let's just have some cereal bars." Arrina reached into her belt pouch and pulled out five chocolate chip cereal bars and handed four of them them to Houdini. "Here, you need your strength." Arrina guided them to an empty space by a wall.

They munch on the bars in utter silence. Arrina takes this time to examine the shelter and its occupants. There was a restroom and door out back, and a window by the entrance. Other than that, there wasn't much to this place but a sad plastic plant in the corner and broken air conditioning.

"How come other people can't see your knife?" Houdini said a little too loudly for comfort. Thankfully, no one seemed to hear him.

"Shh! You have to be quiet about that," Arrina whispered. "Besides, people can't see my dagger for the same reason you can pull knives out of thin air. It's magic. But you have more control of it than I do."

Houdini took the last bite of his bar and started getting up to throw away the trash. Arrina stopped him and put out her hand. "I got it," she said, and he gave her the rappers. She unzipped her pouch and placed them inside.

"You should rest. Most kids your age would be asleep by now." She patted her lap and Houdini curled up and rested his head on her. Arrina pulled the jacket over him and brushed his hair to the side.

"Ok, but after that you need to go to sleep." Arrina searched through her mind for child friendly Greek stories. "Have you ever heard the story of the Canis Major and Canis Minor?"

"No," he responded.

"Well, the Canis Major and Canis Minor are constellations in the sky, or pictures you can make with the stars," Arrina began. "The Canis Major is also called Laelaps, and the Canis Minor is the Teumessian fox. The giant fox was sent down by the gods to punish a city called Thebes. The people didn't like the fox so they fetched the magical dog Laelaps, who always caught everything it chased. The people thought this would be the perfect solution. But the Teumessian fox was destined to never be caught, so the two creatures found themselves running forever. Sometimes, the Laelaps would get close, but the fox always escaped."

"What happened?" Houdini asked. His eyes were green now.

"The king of the gods, Zeus, decided he needed to do something about the confusing cycle. So he turned the two creatures into stone and cast them into the stars. But they still chase each other."

Houdini yawned. "Why did the god king have to turn them into stone? Why couldn't they have kept going?"

Arrina picked her words carefully. "Sometimes, the gods do things that don't make sense unless you look at the situation another way. Think about the arguments the other gods were having about which creature would win. He had to do something before something serious happened."

"That makes sense." Houdini yawned again and curled up on her lap. "You're good at telling stories."

Arrina laughed. "I'm glad you think so. Now time to sleep. You have a big day tomorrow." She brushed aside his hair again and watched him fall asleep. Then she leaned her head against the wall behind her and thought about what she was doing. Taking the subway would have definitely been safer and quicker. Well, tomorrow her little mission would be over, the Houdini would be safe, and maybe she could find out more about his mysterious past.


	3. The Monster

Arrina woke up to the sound of her own voice.

She opened her eyes a bit and was surprised at what she saw. Houdini was awake and sitting facing away from her. He was looking at a hooded dark figure that had short, straight brown hair. When she lifted her head to look directly at Houdini Arrina saw that the figure looked exactly like her. Only her eyes weren't brown, they were a deep, ominous black.

Houdini remained completely still as the girl repeated what she whispered: "Come on Houdini, there isn't much time. We have to leave."

He didn't move an inch. "You're not Arrina."

"What are you saying? Of course I'm Arrina." The figure's voice, _her_ voice, was barely louder than a whisper. Arrina reached towards her dagger.

"No, you're not. You don't look like her. And she's right here next to me." Houdini reached towards Arrina and she jumped up, dagger in hand, ready to fight whatever creature was using her face.

"What are you, a monster? How did you find us in this place?" Arrina asked. She moved in front of Houdini to protect him. There should be no way a monster would find them here, their scent should be completely masked.

The monster was surprised at first but then it chuckled. "Don't recognize me huh? I guess not in this ugly form. Most demigods nowadays haven't even heard of me anyway." The monster's form shimmered with a dull red glow as the monster returned to her normal form. After her transformation, she became a woman with medium build, blonde hair, and black eyes. When she spoke again it was no longer Arrina's voice. "Neat trick, huh? Learned it from Hecate."

 _Hecate?_ Arrina searched her mind for any myths that fit the story.

"Doesn't matter anyway. If the stupid brat wasn't so powerful, you'd both be dead. You're deaths are just postponed."

"You have to be careful, no one can trick a child of Hermes."

"Is that right? I couldn't recognize your stench with these disgusting mortals. Filthy creatures. I should burn them right now." The monster kicked one of the many homeless lying on the floor. She saw the look of contempt on Arrina's face. "Don't worry, they're just fast asleep under my spell. So they won't interrupt me." She kicked again. Arrina was starting to lose patience. "You want to know how I found you? I'll give you a hint: the boy."

Arrina turned toward Houdini. He was quiet throughout this encounter, and his eyes returned to their original dark black. He looked scared and confused, and Arrina knew that the six year old had no idea what was going on.

"Is it because he is a son of Hecate?"

The monster's eyes seemed to light up despite the fact that they were black. "Brilliant girl! Haven't had this much fun in ages. Now, can you figure out who I am?"

"Of course." Arrina had confirmed her theory after mentioning Hecate. "I'm no child of Athena, but I still enjoy reading myths, and I'll admit, we don't know much about about you." Arrina could see the monster was very excited. "You're Mormo, the spirit that allegedly eats bad children, former companion of Hecate. I'm guessing you sensed Hecate's power here so you waited until midnight when your power is strongest. Then you casted a spell on the homeless here to keep them asleep, and tried to separate Houdini here from me. But you don't want to kill us, or at least, not him." Arrina held her breath.

Mormo clapped her hands together. "Correct! Yes I am Mormo. You also managed to pin together everything else. Good work, demigod. Your death will be quick and painless. The boy however… well, there are bigger things planned for him. But you know too much."

Arrina was quick to act. She ran at Mormo and thrashed her dagger towards her chest. Mormo backed away and the dagger hit nothing but air. "Silly demigod. Your arrogance will be the death of you." Arrina dodged a strike of Mormo's long nails, which were beginning to look more and more like claws.

 _She's fast_ , Arrina thought as she dodges another slash. _I have to get Houdini out of here._ Arrina stole a glance at Houdini, who was curled up by the wall where they were sleeping, rocking back and forth silently.

"Houdini!" Arrina yelled. "Get out of here, wait on the bench across the street! I'll meet you there!" Arrina dodged another strike from Mormo. When Mormo struck again, Arrina managed to cut off her hand, and Mormo stared in horror as her hand fell to the floor, disintegrating to golden dust. "Go Houdini! NOW!" Arrina didn't want him in the building during their fight. She wanted at least him to be able to escape.

"My- my HAND!" Mormo kneeled down and tried tried to pick up the remains of her last body part. "You will pay for this mortal! You will-" Arrina took this opportunity to cut off Mormo's head and watched the monster's face of horror as the rest of her body began to disintegrate as well. As her head rolled on the floor she breathed out a massive flame onto the nearest wooden object and Arrina watched as the table was set ablaze. Mormo's last expression was almost one of satisfaction before finally nothing remained but a few piles of dust. Arrina ran to the fire alarm in the back and pulled it, not wasting a single second as she ran to the front of the shelter, doing her best to wake up all the homeless people in the room. Houdini had already left the building, and Arrina wanted to get to him as soon as possible. As soon as she exited the shelter She ran to the bench where Houdini was rocking himself back and forth, anxiously waiting for her.

When he saw her he jumped up and ran towards her as fast as he could. When he reached her Arrina picked him up and started stroking his hair. _Poor kid, he's really shaken up._ Arrina didn't want to put him in any danger, but she knew that he would have been caught by Mormo sooner or later whether she was there or not. Even if his life would be like this from now on, at least he would be alive.

"What… what just happened? Was that a monster? I thought you said they wouldn't find us…" Houdini hugs Arrina tighter.

"Yeah, that was a monster." Arrina sat on the bench. She couldn't tell them he was the was the reason the were found. "She saw us go into the shelter. Don't worry, all the people are OK." Arrina was surprised to see the sun begin to rise. Did Mormo mess with the time too?

"Looks like it's morning already. Ready to go visit my friends?" Arrina asks Houdini,

"Yeah…" Houdini stands up and holds Arrina's hand. "Lets go, I don't like it here."

Arrina decides to follow Houdini's advice and leaves. She doesn't want to do it, but looks like they'll have to take the subway...

"Arrina," Houdini says, "Who is Hecate? Is she… my mom? Do monsters chase us because we're special, or are we cursed?" Houdini's head was filling up with questions. "And-"

Arinna cuts Houdini off. "It's not safe to talk out here. There are too many people around. I promise that once we get to where we're going my friends and I will answer everything." She pats his head. "Don't worry about it right now, alright? Trust me." Arrina points to a large sign. "We're going to use the subway. Stay close alright?"

"OK. Can you tell me about where we're going?"

"Sure." Arrina grips Houdini's hand as they go down the steps. "Do you know what a camp is Houdini?" The boy shakes his head. "Well, there are a lot of people like us, and we all live there. Some kids only stay during the summer, but I'm there all the time. The camp is run by councilors. Our camp is different from other camps because we're all special. You'll see when we get there." The reach the end of the steps. "OK, be completely silent for a bit," Arrina whispers.

A chill ran through both of them as they walked to the ticket machine. The subway was nearly empty, it being early morning, but Arrina didn't like it. She rushed to buy two tickets to Long Island and rushes to the train. As she ran she could feel them creeping closer and closer. They lurked in the shadows and were unnoticed by those who weren't demigods. After getting in the train Arrina lets out a breath she'd been keeping in for a long time.

"What are those things?" Houdini whispers.

"So you can see those, too." The bodiless shadows that were chasing them returned to their places along the walls. "They're shades," Arrina says with a shudder. "They stay here during the day and wonder around during the night. There aren't many of them, but you still don't want them to catch you…" Arrina trails off. "Come on, we have around thirty minutes before we have to get off. You should sleep more."

Houdini lays his head down on Arrina's lap and falls asleep instantly. She tried to fight it, but soon Arrina drifted into sleep herself. She let her eyelids close, hoping for a peaceful rest.

But of course, like everything else that day, she had to encounter trouble.


	4. The Dream

Arrina's dream began with darkness.

She tried to move, but couldn't seem to remember how. Then, as if in a trance, she drifted toward a faint light she didn't notice was there. She noticed something gold shimmering next to the light, but as she got closer she realized that it was actually a man, or more accurately, a _god_. And one she knew all too well. It was the Director of Camp, Dionysus himself, covered in blood and chained to the wall.

"Hello, Arrina," he barely whispered. Arrina decided not to comment on him getting her name right and instead wondered what Dionysus was doing here, and not at Camp.

"I've been captured, by Acephal. You're the only one outside of Camp sleeping that I can send a message through. A new quest to save me needs to start immediately."

 _How did you get captured?_ Arrina asked him.

"Never mind that!" he snapped, then quickly looked around and resumed to whispering. "Melinoel, you know, the goddess of ghosts. I was doing something for father, and she caught me off guard. I'm somewhere in Denver, Colorado. Listen, your train is about to stop, so just make sure to tell Chiron-"

Arrina woke up as the subway's brakes made everyone jerk forward. She shook Houdini awake and exited the train at their stop. Dionysus unfinished sentence rang through her head. Tell Chiron what? And Melinoe… didn't Percy Jackson encounter her before? And she's the goddess of ghosts of all things. Why did it have to be ghosts?

As she left the station she wondered how she was going to tell Chiron everything that happened in the last twelve hours. That the boy in her dream she had was being targeted by a monster as powerful as Mormo, that the child himself was a very powerful child of Hecate. And Dionysus… Arrina squeezed Houdini's hand. This wasn't going to be an easy week.

"We're almost there, Houdini. When we get there, we'll be separated for a while, but you will get to meet some nice people." She points at a pine tree. "That's what marks the border of Camp. Once we cross that, no monsters will be able to get to us. Ever." Arrina realized that Houdini really hasn't said much and wanted to make him more comfortable. "We're actually going to enter through the front entrance. Can you see all the kids and cabins?"

"There's a lot of people here. And they are all like me?"

"Yeah, we're all just like you." The two walk through the pillars supporting the "Camp Half-Blood" sign and enter the camp. "It's fall right now, so there aren't as many campers as there would be in the summer." A familiar boy with blonde curls and violet eyes walks past them. "Hey! Pollux!" Arrina calls out. "Can you get Houdini here situated in Hecate's Cabin after breakfast? I need to talk to Chiron stat."

Sure enough, a pair of crossed torches appear above Houdini's head. He looks up and starts trying to wave it off. "What is going on?" he asks as he tries to hide behind Arrina.

"Dang, I knew you said the kid you dreamed about was young, but he can't be more than six years old," Pollux said. "How'd you know he was a Hecate kid?"

"A really long story I don't have time to tell right now. Do you know where Mr. D is?"

Pollux knelt down and patted Houdini's head. "Away on some business for Zeus. What happened while you were out?"

"Pollux, you'll be the first I tell after I talk to Chiron. I really have to go." Arrina kneels down to Houdini. "Sorry, Houdini. Someone else is going to explain things to you." She looks at Pollux. "He doesn't know anything yet. Make sure the reveal is smooth, alright? See ya later." She didn't want to leave him with someone else, but she didn't have a choice. Something big was happening.

She quickly paces to the dining pavilion to find the centaur eating with the other campers. "Arrina, welcome back. Did you retrieve the child in your dream?"

Arrina stood as straight as she could. "Yes, the boy is with Pollux. He can't remember his name so I nicknamed him Houdini. He's a son of Hecate, so I think it's appropriate." She paused for a brief moment. "There's… something else. I had another dream regarding some pressing matters."

Chiron sensed that something was troubling her. "Grab something to eat and meet me at the Big House." Chiron himself grabs a coffee and begins to excuse himself. Arrina spreads cheese over a slice of bread and follows behind him.


	5. The Prophecy

"And that's everything."

Arrina was sitting in Chiron's office rubbing her temples. It was all really surreal. First, she had a dream of Houdini. Then Mormo, a monster that Arrina had no knowledge of any demigod encountering was after a child of Hecate for unknown reasons. And then she had another dream of Mr. D, captured by Melinoe, the goddess of ghosts. She couldn't help but think the events were related somehow.

"Mr. D wanted me to tell you something, but I woke up before I found out what. Sorry." Arrina wished she slept for a minute longer, but knew that there was no point blaming herself for that.

Chiron strokes his beard. "A quest certainly needs to start as soon as possible. Rachel is still in Camp Jupiter putting together the Sibylline Books, but she did leave behind a few prophecies behind. Let's see…" Chiron opens a drawer at his desk and pulls out a stack of index cards with Rachel's handwriting on it and starts flipping through them. "Dionysus said he was in Denver? I think this one goes with your quest." He takes one index card and puts the rest back into the drawer.

"My quest? Certainly there are those better suited to free a _god_ -"

"Those younger than you have done it, and Dionysus contacted you." Chiron hands her the index card. The prophecy read:

 _You shall travel to the Adams Land,_

 _To recover what has been taken among sand,_

 _A sacrifice you will have to make,_

 _But beware the place that hangs mandrake._

Arrina read it over once, then again, trying to make sense of it.

"'Adams Land' is probably 'Adams County,' where Denver is. The rest you will have to figure out.

"A sacrifice…" Arrina's mouth dries up. "When should I leave?"

"After lunch, if possible. You should keep your quest secret, the campers shouldn't know that Dionysus is missing. This is a very critical situation."

"I understand." She puts the index card in her back pocket. "And what about Houdini? He must have a role in this somewhere. Mormo has never been active before."

"Don't worry about Houdini, now that he's in Camp he won't be bothered."

"I can't help it. He's so young and hold no memory. It has to be the work of a god. _And_ he can already control the Mist. He's too blessed." She bites her thumb nail.

"Arrina, he isn't going anywhere, you can think about him when you return from your quest," Chiron responds.

Arrina lowers her hand. "Right. I should go get ready." She tries to smile. "I think Connor and Pollux should be a nice team, no? I don't trust anyone more."

Chiron stoked his beard. "Your decision, not mine. Be off, now. It's almost 10 o'clock already."

Arrina exited the Big House and took a deep breath. She had just got back, and already she was being sent away again. She hurries to the Hermes' Cabin to pack a new set of clothes and provisions. When she gets there she sees Connor laying on his bunk bed staring at the ceiling.

Arrina tapped the post. "Hey, Connor. You there?"

Connor speaks without looking at her. "It's just not the same without him, you know? I'm in a prank-block, and without him I have no inspiration."

"Oh, hush, you. Travis has only been gone for like a month. And didn't you prank someone yesterday? You put roasted marshmallows on someone's seat and made their pants sticky. You're being too dramatic," Arrina responds nonchalantly.

Connor turns over and gets out of his bed and smooths out his shirt. "Yeah, yeah. You need something?"

Arrina smirks. "As a matter of fact, yes. I have a quest. Wanna join?" she asks in a hushed tone

"Depends… What kind of quest?" Connor squints his eyes at Arrina.

There were still a few kids in the cabin so Arrina gestured to go outside. Once they were behind the cabin she explained that Dionysus was captured and that they were going to rescue him.

"Awesome! Mr. D will totally owe me after this." Connor had that jokester smile spread wide across his face. "I'm definitely in."

"Great. Pack your stuff, we leave after lunch."

"Who's lucky number 3?" Connor asks.

"Pollux. He should be more than willing to oblige. What do you think?"

"He's a good fighter. Plus I bet he could use the fresh air."

"Oh, and don't tell anyone about the quest. Top secret."

"Sure. I'll gloat after we get Mr. D. Don't want to jinx things before we start."

Connor disappears back into the abin and Arrina starts making her way down to Dionysus' Cabin. Pollux wouldn't be too hard to find, seeing as he's the only occupant thus far. Things have really been rough on him since Castor passed away, but she tried her best to lighten the load. When she got to the cabin she knocked on the only part of the door not covered in grapevines. "Knock, knock. Anyone in there?"

"Come in, Arrina!" Pollux calls from inside. She opens the door. The inside of the cabin wasn't much different from the outside. There were grapevines everywhere, covering all but two beds. It wasn't always like this, though. The walls use to have posters of Castor and Pollux's favorite bands and movies, and the vines used to only reside on the ceiling. The only thing that hung from the wall now was a mirror. Pollux himself was sitting on his bed, messing with the vines on the bed opposite. He clears a spot on the bed for Arrina to sit on.

"Thanks."

"What's up?" he asks.

"Nothing much. Just that last night I fought Mormo after she disguised as me to try to lure Houdini away to who knows where and that I had to take the subway to get here. Oh, and I dreamt that Mr. D was chained to a wall and he told me that Melinoe captured him. And now I need a third member to go on a quest to find him in Denver. Did I say nothing much I meant a lot is up." She starts tracing her finger over one of the grape leaf veins.

"Whoa, whoa, what?" He stands up. " _The_ Dionysus, my father, has been captured." He starts pacing the room.

"Yup. And I've been assigned quest leader. You in?"

"Hang on. You said I'm the third member? Who else is going?"

"Connor. He's already agreed to come."

Pollux runs his hand through his blonde curls. It takes a moment but finally he says, "I'll come. When are you leaving?"

"After lunch. Thanks for agreeing to come, it means a lot to me."

"Yeah…" Pollux was looking far beyond Arrina, lost in thought.

"We're going to meet at the entrance at 1 o'clock. See you then." Pollux nodded and Arrina left the cabin. She knew he was thinking about his brother, and that she should leave him be. The two used to be best friends, and now he was alone. Arrina goes back into the Hermes' Cabin and finishes packing everything she needed for the quest. Connor was nowhere to be seen, probably setting off one more prank before he sets off. After packing, Arrina made her way to Hecate's Cabin to check up on Houdini.

Hecate's Cabin was the newest addition of the cabins, all the way at the end of the row. It was built of stones with magical inscriptions, something no one but the children of Hecate dare touch. Arrina has never been inside, and she never planned to enter. The space inside was always being manipulated, and she didn't want to be caught up in that. She may be able to manipulate the Mist, but she had nowhere near the skills of a child of Hecate.

Arrina carefully knocked on the door. "Lou Ellen?"

A camper with dark hair and green eyes poked their head out the door. "She's testing the newbie. What's up?"

"Do you know where she is? I need to speak with her."

The camper shrugged. "Probably the training ground if I had to guess. Be careful, she doesn't like it when people interrupt her." A noise goes off inside the cabin. "Gotta go fix that. Good luck." He closes the door, leaving Arrina outside. She leaves and starts making her way to the Arena.

Sure enough, Lou Ellen and Houdini were there, with Lou Ellen showing off her control of the Mist. Houdini was sitting on a stump, wearing an orange Camp shirt and watching his counselor. Arrina walks up and stands behind Houdini. "Hey. I see you're all cleaned up. How are you holding up?"

"Arrina!" Houdini gets up and hugs her. Lou Ellen crosses her arms.

"Can't you see I'm busy here? What do you want?" Lou Ellen says dryly.

"I'm just passing by. Came to say goodbye to Houdini since I need to leave soon." Aarrina pats his head

"Right. Last time you said that you brought me a new camper. Real original nickname, by the way." Lou Ellen runs her hand through the illusion she was showing Houdini, making it disappear.

"In my defense, it was before I was certain he was a Hecate kid. Besides, he doesn't remember any of his past, so I nicknamed him something that would stick."

"Where are you going? When are you coming back?" Houdini asked.

Arrina smiles at him. "Don't worry, I'll be back in about a week. In the meantime, Lou Ellen here is going to explain everything to you. She is you big sister after all." She winks at Lou Ellen. "I'm sure you too will get along swimmingly."

Lou Ellen rolls her eyes. "Thanks for the pressure. I've never had a kid this young before."

"First time for everything. I'll see you later. Take care, Houdini." Arrina mentally checks off the last thing from her list. Now, she was ready for the quest to begin.


	6. The Quest

Arrina waited at the camp entrance with Pollux waiting for Connor. She hadn't seen him since he agreed to the quest. She checked her wrist watch and looked toward the dining hall.

"I'll give him 2 more minutes before I go drag him by the ear."

"What could be keeping him?"

Arrina shrugged. "Honestly, I have no idea. He should know better than to be late. It's already five past one." Arrina yawned involuntarily.

"Are you tired? Mormo woke you up in the middle of the night so you didn't have much rest."

Arrina smiled. "I'll be fine. Nothing a little nap won't fix. Besides, someone has to be the night driver." The two see a boy with brown hair running up to them with a large backpack. Arrina crosses her arms. "You're late."

"Relax! I skipped lunch to finish up something that'll help us. You'll thank me later." Connor has the wide smile on his face that Arrina knew all too well.

Arrina inspects the backpack carefully. "Alright, whatever you say. We need to get going anyhow. I already told Pollux the plan: We're driving to Colorado. Zeus is probably still mad at you for the prank you pulled on Jason, and by extension me, so we better not fly." Connor rubs the back of his head and tries to look apologetic. "Connor, you're driving first, then Pollux, then me, then back to you. I'll be manipulating the Mist so no mortals see us, so you two can go as fast as you want." They exit the Camp and start walking west. "You two OK with that?"

"How come I get two driving shifts?" Connor asks. Arrina simply stares at him. "Right. Nevermind. You have a car picked out?"

"Of course. I already scheduled a rental. I hope you like the 2017 Honda Accord Hybrid." Arrina winks at him.

"No way! This road trip is going to be awesome!"

Pollux was oddly quiet the entire time Arrina and Connor were talking. "Anything to add, Pollux?" Arrina says as she pokes him in the ribs.

Pollux blinks a few times and looks at Arrina. "Hmm? Ah, no. Everything sounds great. You really thought this through." He goes back to staring ahead, deep in thought. Connor and Arrina look at each other and shrug.

After paying for a week-long rental and getting into the car, Arrina settles herself in the backseat and begins cloaking the car. "No radio, we're already pushing the technology thing by renting this car. Pollux, you're the navigator. Make sure Connor doesn't take any 'shortcuts.'"

"Can we stop at McDonald's? I skipped lunch," Connor says and he puts on his seatbelt.

"That's on you. You can get whatever you like at our next pitstop in Harrisburg. Until then, no breaks. Mr. D is counting on us." Arrina and Pollux put on their seatbelts and she finishes cloaking the car. "Alright, all set. Whenever you're ready, Connor."

Pollux finally speaks up. "Arrina, do we have a prophecy?"

She bites her lip. She had unconsciously pushed the prophecy to the back of her mind and forgot to tell her quest-mates about it. "We do…" she says as she pulls the index card from her back pocket. She reads the prophecy aloud for them and hands it over to Pollux so he could examine it further.

"A sacrifice, huh?" Connor begins drumming the steering wheel. "Do you think me skipping lunch counts as a sacrifice?"

"Unfortunately, I don't think so," Arrina replies.

"Mandrake… That sounds… obscure, to say the least," Pollux finally says.

"But it does have a tiny basis in the myths. Circe and Aphrodite are said to have used it for an… aphrodisiac. So maybe we're looking at a witch, or something else entirely different." Arrina rubs her temples trying to come up with anything else.

"Don't strain yourself looking for things that aren't there" Pollux says reassuringly. "What's Adams Land have to do with Denver?"

"Apparently Denver is in 'Adams County.'"

Connor chuckles. "Now that, is obscure. We're on the highway now, so I'm gonna floor it. How long can you keep the cloak up?"

"About two hours at most. Then I'm going to need a break. You'd think cloaking would be hard, but you barely need to manipulate the Mist to accomplish it." Arrina checks her wristwatch. "I think if you drive over a 100 mph we can get to Harrisburg before then."

"Already ahead of you." Connor merges onto the toll road and floors it. She knew he was a good driver, so she wasn't worried about crashing. Being a child of the God of Roads does that for you.

Pollux opens a map they got from the rental store and starts marking on it with a red marker. "Alright, if we manage to keep up this pace, we'll get to Denver in about 18 hours depending on pit stops."

"Sweet. In the meantime, what should we do?" Connor asks as he swerves around a car.

Pollux leans back in his chair. He seemed more casual than most demigods in the car with Connor. Most would start screaming death threats at his seemingly haphazard methods of driving. "I'd like to hear more about the kid you brought in this morning, Arrina. He's got to be one of the youngest I've ever seen at Camp."

"Oh yeah, Arrina. You didn't tell me how your night out was," Connor says. "Encounter anything strong while with the kid?"

"Well…" Arrina retells the story in more detail this time, seeing she didn't have anywhere to go this time. She didn't skip over anything, and explained the dream she had about Dionysus.

Connor is the first to speak up. "Aren't you unlucky," he chuckles.

"Hey, it's not funny! Besides, a god has been captured. My own-"

"What's he talking about?" Pollux interrupts.

"Arrina's afraid of ghosts. Can't stand them." Connor chuckles again.

"Wait. seriously?" He joins Connor and the two start laughing.

"Seriously, cut it out." Arrina crosses her arms. "It's not you two don't have any unreasonable fears."

"Sorry, sorry." Pollux stops laughing and stares back at Arrina. "Why are you afraid of ghosts anyway?"

"Thats-" Arrina's voice trails off.

"Hey, you don't have to say why," Connor chimes as he exits onto another highway.

"No, no, I do. Otherwise this quest will be a lot harder." She stares out the window. "You two promise not to tell anyone?"

"Yeah, of course." Pollux says.

"Sure, sis. Whatever you say."

Arrina takes a deep breath. "Connor, remember how I said I ran away when I found out I was a demigod?"

"Yeah, you came to Camp about a year before Travis and I did. Showed us how the Hermes' Cabin worked before we spiced thing up."

"Well, it's a lot more complicated than that. My mom, she wasn't really a figure to look up to, but she was all I had. I didn't go to school, because they would see how horrible our living situation was. She didn't have a legal job, instead she sold drugs for the dealers that lived next door to us."

"You're speaking about her in the past tense…" Connor said.

"Yeah, that's because she's dead." The car was silent. "She may have raised me, but I didn't love her as a child should have. I was a burden to her, and she treated me as such. Most nights I went to bed without food in my stomach. She wasn't the best mother." She paused. "You're probably wondering what this has to do with my fear of ghosts."

"Maybe a little," Connor admitted.

"Well, the night she died- and the night I ran away- a monster smelled me and decided it wanted to take a closer look. I heard someone knock on the door and hid, thinking it was the dealers, but instead a somewhat well dressed man was on the other side. She wasn't expecting him, that was for sure. She thought he might have been a salesman or something, and tried to close the door on him. He simply grabbed her by the throat and I watched as he sucked her soul out of her body. Needless to say, she's not in the Underworld." She shuddered. "The look on her face as he tore her soul from her body… I got out of there as fast as I could through the fire escape. Hid in dumpsters every night to mask my scent." Arrina stared at her hands and twiddled her thumbs. "I've never been able to find out what that thing was, but one thing's for sure: it's not Greek."

Silence washed over the car. Arrina said what she wanted to say, and she felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. "So, that's why I'm afraid of ghosts. I saw my mom turn into one for a brief second, only to die without ever going to the Underworld. Not the best fate, no matter who you were while you were living."

Pollux is the first to speak. "How- how old were you?"

"Eight. That's why I'm worried for Houdini. He's so small… I wonder what he when through before he ran away. Hopefully nothing too terrible, but I guess the past can't be changed." Arrina finally looks up. "He's lucky, to have no memory."

"Dang, sis. Sorry for all those ghost pranks," Connor says apologetically.

"No worries, none of them came close to the real thing. Anyway, how's our progress looking?" Arrina was eager to change the subject.

"Well, it looks like there's an accident up ahead, but I can just drive on the shoulder. I'll have to slow down though, and I don't know for how long the congestion goes. Might set us back a bit."

"Exit. It's not worth the trouble. I'll make the lights green until we get back up on the highway."

After a few minutes of silence Connor says, "You guys ever play The Name Game?"


	7. The Game

The Harrisburg pitstop was uneventful, something the three greatly appreciated. Connor got his McDonald's as Arrina filled up the gas tank, and Pollux picked up a map with more detailed roads as the station. They also stocked up on extra snacks and drinks in case anyone else got hungry before the next pit stop.

"When do you think you'll be able to put the cloak back up?" Connor asks Arrina. They were still sitting in the same places, only now Arrina was leaning against the door reading a book she brought with her for the trip.

"I don't know. Maybe in an hour? If I start it any sooner it could take a huge toll on me."

Connor leans against the steering wheel. "Too bad. Driving at 130 is really fun."

"You'll get another chance. Just stay within the speed limit for now." She turns a page.  
"You two normally go on road trips like these?" Pollux asks.

"Not really, at least, not in our free time," Connor responds. "This is going to be the longest one I've ever been on." Arrina notices he's going 5 over the limit but decides not to say anything.

"We've been on a couple quests before, so we know how to maximize our skills when it come to getting to our destination," Arrina adds. "Though, this is by far the biggest quest I've ever been on. Most of mine don't even have prophecies, and I can complete them without having to fight if I'm stealthy enough. What about you, Pollux? Been on any good quests?"

Pollux scratched his chin. "This is actually my first one in years. I've been teaching sword fighting and such since the Second Titanomachy."

"Well, how does it feel to get back in the field after so long?" Arrina asks.

"Ha! I'd hardly call this getting back into the field. But hey, I won't say I didn't miss it."

"Hey, getting there the like 80% of the quest." Arrina closes her book. "I should have brought something more interesting. Can you pass the Goldfish? I need to snack on something."

"Sure." Pollux passes back the Goldfish to Arrina. "Seeing as we have around 15 hours 'til we reach Denver, let's play a game."

"What about-" Connor begins.

Arrina interrupts. "No! We are not playing The Name Game again."

"Actually, I was going to say we could play '21 Questions.' One person thinks of someone, fictional or real, and the other two have to deduce who it is in 21 yes or no questions."

"Oh, like forehead detective," Arrina says.

"Sure. I'll go first," Connor says. "Let's see what you two got."

Pollux asks the first question. "Are you thinking of a real person?"

"Yup."

"Is this person male?" Arrina asks.

"Yup."

"Is this person a mortal?"

"No."

"Demigod?"

"Yes."

"Currently alive?"

"No."

"Greek?"

"Yes."

"Oh thank gods," Arrina says.

Pollux continues. "Was his parent an Olympian?"

"Yup."

"Was his godly parent female?"

"Nope"

"One of the big three?"

"Yes."

"Zeus?"

"Nope."

"Poseidon?"

"Yup."

"Ok, we have 10 questions left. Let's stop and think. Male demigod. Son of dead. We have more than a few potential candidates…" Arrina voice trails off. "Was this demigod born royal?"

"Technically, yes. He did have royal blood in him."

Pollux grins. "Theseus then, right?"

"Not bad," Connor says. "Only took 13 questions. You're up Pollux."

"Hmm, alright. I've got one. Fire away."

Arrina starts first. "Mortal?"

"Nope."

"Demigod?" Connor asks.

"Nope."

"God or Goddess?"

"Nope."

"Titan?"

"Nope," Pollux says with a smile.

"…Monster?" Arrina asks.

"Ding ding! Yup."

"Oh boy. Male?"

"Yup."

"Would this monster be one of the ones considered 'good' or on our side?"

"Hmm. Yes."

"Can this monster speak English or other human languages?"

"Ah, no."

"Animal-like?" Arrina asks.

"Yes."

"Was this monster part of Heracles' twelve labours?"

"Nice. Yeah, he was."

"One of the first six?"

"Nope."

"Seven through nine?"

"Nope."

"Number… eleven?"

"Yup."

"Does this monster reside in the Underworld?"

"Yup."

"Awesome, so it's Cerberus right?"

"Yeah! 15 questions. Your turn Arrina."

"Let's see…" Arrina took a moment to think up something that would stump the two boys. "Alright. Let's see if you can get mine."

Connor asks first. "Mortal?"

"Yup."

"Well known worldwide?"

"Yup."

"American?"

"Nope."

"European?"

"Yup."

"Royal?"

"Yup."

"Female?"

"Nope."

"Currently alive?"

"Nope."

"Well, that makes it complicated," Connor says.

"Was this person English royalty?" Pollux continues.

"Nope," Arrina responds simply. They were never going to get it at this rate.

"Was this person a king?"

"Nope."

"Prince?"

"Yup."

"Was he killed by someone seeking his crown?"

"Uh… yes? Technically. Indirectly"

"Ok… was he married?"

"Nope."

"Onlyborn?"

"Yes."

"Was his kingdom in northern Europe?"

"Yup."

"Norway?"

"Not that north."

"Denmark?" Pollux asks.

"Yup."

"Dude. No one is coming up for me." Connor starts drumming the steering wheel.

Pollux shrugs. "I also got nothing."

"Wait…" Connor begins.

"Hmm?" Arrina hums.

"Is this person even real?"

"Took you 17 questions to ask that. Nope, he isn't."

"Ok, so this person is male, a prince, killed by someone who sought his crown, lived in Denmark, and is fictional," Pollux says. "Is he from something written recently?"

"Nope."

"Something written in England?"

"Yes."

"Uhh… Shakespeare…?"

"Lucky guess, Yeah."

"I've never read Shakespeare in my life. Is this guy from _Romeo and Juliet_?"

"Nope. And with that we have come to 21 questions. This game is fun." Arrina says. "Want to know the answer?"

"Let's still ask," Pollux says.

"Yeah, we're close anyway right?"

"Mkay. Pollux, you're next."

"Alright. Is this one of Shakespeare's more famous plays?"

"Yes."

"Has it been adapted into a movie or other media several times?"

"Yes."

"Disney?"

"Yes."

"Uh… Hamlet?"

"Ding ding!" Arrina chimes. "You guys suck with mortal stuff."

"Well, I did say it could be fictional… might have to revoke that rule," Connor says. "Hey, Arrina. Rush hour is starting, think you can cloak the car so I can drive in the shoulder?"

Arrina thinks for a moment. "I can do it for about three hours maybe, but then I have to rest up. That should get you through the congestion period, right?"

"That won't leave any effects on your body?" Pollux asks. "Three hours is a long time."

"It probably will, but I brought some ambrosia squares with me. Plus I was planning on sleeping anyway, and that should clear up any other fatigue issues. Alright Connor, the car's cloaked, but I won't be able to do anything else for the time being."

"No problemo, sis."

Arrina leans against the door and opens her book again. She needed something to occupy her while she kept the cloak up. Connor and Pollux were still playing "21 Questions," but Arrina didn't join them. The Mist cloak was her number one priority. Until then, she tried her best to keep herself awake.


	8. The Message

"Hey, we're here."

"Huh?" Arrina was so lost in thought that she didn't even know who spoke to her.

"We're at Springfield. You can put the cloak down now," Connor said.

"Right…" Arrina releases the cloak and Connor pulled over into a gas station. It was already sunset, which meant that it was Pollux's turn to drive. Connor got out of the car and stretched. Arrina got out and did the same, put almost toppled over.

"Careful!" Pollux says as he catches her. "You OK?"

"Yeah… just a bit dizzy. Thanks for the catch," Arrina says as she steadies herself. "I'll stay back and fill the gas tank. You two buy snacks and stuff. I'll be fine." She smiles reassuringly. Neither of them look convinced.

"Here, take this." Connor tosses her an ambrosia square and Arrina pops it in her mouth. It tasted like sour candy.

"Thanks. Now, be off. We're wasting time." Arrina watched as they ran into the gas station and started filling the car with gas. After pushing all the buttons she leans against the car door and sighs. She wondered what Dionysus was doing for Zeus that caused him to be captured by a minor goddess like Melinoel. This has to be bigger than just her. Arrina rubbed her temples and tried to think about what the god didn't tell her.

Suddenly, Arrina saw a rainbow appear before her on the gas machine. She recognized it as an Iris message and waited for it to completely connect. When it did, Arrina saw Lou Ellen on the other side.

"Arrina, I've been trying to find you for hours! Who the hell is this kid?" She looked both angry and concerned.

"Woah, Lou Ellen, calm down, I have a major headache. What are you talking about? Houdini?"

"Who else? This kid isn't normal."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean exactly that. He's too powerful."

"I already knew that. He even summoned a butter knife when I found him."

"You could have told me that!"

"Did something happen at Camp? What's going on?"

Lou Ellen shook her head. "Houdini collapsed after over exerting himself. He set the Arts and Crafts Center on fire!"

"What?!" Arrina exclaimed. Some people at the gas station looked over at her and Arrina lowered her voice. "Is he OK?"

"Will says so, but he hasn't gotten up yet. He might be knocked out for a few days, no one knows for sure. It's a miracle he's alive after he released all those flames. I saw it myself. I don't think Hecate's the only god he has the blood of. His father must have been a descendent of a god himself."

"What was he doing before he passed out?" Arrina was incredibly worried for Houdini's safety. "Was he trying to release a small spell and had it backfire on him?"

"As far as I can tell, he released those flames on purpose. He… I don't know, it seemed like he snapped. He was screaming at something, maybe he remembered something frightening and he tried to fight it." She shows Arrina her burned hand. "I got injured pulling him out, but everyone else is pretty much alright."

"It makes it troublesome that we have no idea where he came from. He had no memories of before he was on the streets when I met him, but he must have been raised by somebody at least."

"Whatever mini-adventure you're having with Connor and Pollux, hurry up. I hate to admit it, but Houdini is more comfortable around you than he is with me, which makes you more valuable when it comes to bringing him back."

"I…" Arrina couldn't tell her what her quest was. "I'll finish as soon as I can, but I won't be at Camp for at least another couple days. I have to finish my quest first."

"What is your quest?"

"I can't tell you. What does Chiron have to say about Houdini?"

"He hasn't shared anything with me, but he shares my concerns. Just… hurry back, OK?"

Arrina bites her lip. "Yeah, I will when I'm done." The Iris message fades out and Arrina is left alone with her thoughts. These last couple days have been eventful to say the least, and Arrina was too exhausted to even properly think about anything rationally. She was sure that she was going to pass out immediately after getting back into the car. She was dozing off even as Pollux and Connor came up behind her.

"Hey," Connor says. "The gas is full."

Arrina snaps back awake. "Right." She returns the pump to its place and gets back into the backseat.

"You OK?" Connor asks as he gets into the passenger side.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired." She thinks for a moment. "I got an Iris message from Lou Ellen."

"Really?" Pollux says as he turns on the car. "What about?"

"Well, apparently Houdini is a lot more powerful than I thought he was. He set fire to the Arts and Crafts Center. He's unconscious now. Lou Ellen says it's a miracle he's even alive. Thinks he has another god's blood in him from his father's side."

"Holy crap. Did anyone get hurt?" Connor asks.

"Just minor cuts and bruises, I think. Lou Ellen did burn her hand getting Houdini out. Gods, who is that kid? I don't want him to get hurt but that's the first thing that happens when I leave." She lays down in the backseat and rests her head on her bag. "The strangest thing is, he set of those flames on purpose. Lou Ellen said it was like he was fighting something." She yawned.

"Go to sleep, sis. You need your rest. Just worry about it when the quest's over."

"Yeah, OK." It didn't take much effort to sleep. Once Arrina had her eyes closed she passed out, and another dream came her way.


End file.
